Dispensing carton for attachable package handles

ABSTRACT

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is directed to a dispensing carton for attachable package handles which are formed on a wound spool and carried on a hub to be positioned in the carton. The detachable handles are used for application to boxes and bags for carrying articles of purchase. The dispensing carton is provided with a double-thickness reinforcement immediately adjacent the outlet of the carton so that a pull strip can be pulled over the reinforcement and separate the attachable handle. Therefore, a store clerk can easily remove an attachable handle from the carton and apply it to the package. The pull strip passes through a slot formed in the top wall of the carton and is guided through a channel so that it is at all times in a position ready to be taken up by the clerk.

United States Patent [191 Kartasuk [4 1 Oct. 21, 1975 [54] DISPENSING CARTON FOR A'l'lACI-IABLE PACKAGE HANDLES [75] Inventor: Raymond H. Kartasuk,

Lincolnwood, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Wilton Corporation, Des Plaines, [11.

[22] Filed: Apr. 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 459,941

[52] [1.8. CI. 221/70; 229/17 S; 206/409 [51] Int. Cl. B6511 5/28 [58] Field of Search 221/69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 221/74, 25; 206/395, 396, 389, 390, 409; 229/ 17 S [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,276,296 3/1942 Flood 221/70 X 2,373,092 4/1945 Avery 221/70 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 764,666 12/1956 United Kingdom 206/396 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner.loseph .1. Rolla Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Olson, Trexler, Wolters, Bushnell & Fosse, Ltd.

[ 5 7 ABSTRACT The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is directed to a dispensing carton for attachable package handles which are formed on a wound spool and carried on.a hub to be positioned in the carton. The detachable handles are used for application to boxes and bags for carrying articles of purchase. The dispensing carton is provided with a double-thickness reinforcement immediately adjacent the outlet of the carton so that a pull strip can be pulled over the reinforcement and separate the attachable handle. Therefore, a store clerk can easily remove an attachable handle from the carton and apply it to the package. The pull strip passes through a slot formed in the top wall of the carton and is guided through a channel so that it is at all times in a position ready to be taken up by the clerk.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 SheetlofZ 3,913,786

U.S. Patent 0a. 21, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,913,786

DISPENSING CARTON FOR ATTACI-IABLE PACKAGE HANDLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to improvements in the structure of dispensing cartons formed from cardboard blanks, and more particularly to a dispensing carton used to carry attachable package handles on a spool. Specifically, the invention is directed to an improved dispensing carton which enables a store clerk readily to grasp a pull strip and eject an attachable handle from the carton by pulling the strip rearwardly. While the invention disclosed herein is directed to substantial improvements in dispensing cartons of the type disclosed, it will be understood that the dispensing carton can be used for other articles carried on a spool and which are to be dispensed by pulling of a separable pull strip, or the like.

Heretofore, the use of the attachable handles applied to boxes and bags of purchased merchandise have been generally of the type which are packaged loose in a box or the like. The store clerk removes a backing strip from the attachable handle to expose pressure sensitive adhesive and applies the handle to the package. This then allows the purchaser to have a place to hold the package. However, this type of packaging of the attachable handles is relatively cumbersome and awkward for the store clerk as it requires additional time to apply the handle to the package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing carton for attachable handles which substantially increases the efficiency with which the handles are obtained and placed in readiness for application to a package.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing carton which can be used for dispensing articles detachable from a pull strip.

Briefly, the dispensing carton of this invention is formed from a cardboard blank which has substantially square large panel portions forming the side walls of the carton and relatively narrow panel portions forming the end, front, rear, bottom and top walls of the carton. The outlet for the handles is formed in substantially the middle portion of the top wall of the carton and an inclined ramp is formed by a doubled over panel portion. A reinforcing edge is formed by two layers of the top wall with a slot formed in the top layer so that the pull strip can be inserted through the slot and guided through a channel formed between the two layers of the top wall. The pull strip is, therefore, at all times in a convenient location for a store clerk to pull and remove an attachable handle from the carton.

Many other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be more fully realized and understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the various views of the drawings are intended to designate similar elements or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing carton constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and illustrates a user's hand pulling a pull strip to eject an attachable handle, or other article, from the carton;

FIG. 2 is an open plan view of the blank configuration forming the various panels which are folded together to form the dispensing carton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating the internal construction of the dispensing carton of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, there is seen a dispensing carton constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and designated generally by reference numeral 10. The dispensing carton 10 is particularly useful in conjunction with articles wound on a spool to be dispensed by a pull strip as indicated in phantom lines. The article here is designated by reference numeral 11 while the pull strip is designated by reference numeral 12. The users hand 13 grasps the pull strip 12 at the extended end portion thereof and pulls rearwardly in the direction of the arrow 14. This causes the article 11 to be separated from the pull strip and dispensed in a forward direction.

In the illustrated embodiment, the article 11 is an attachable package handle of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 337,951, filed Mar. 5, 1973, now abandoned, and assigned to the same assignee of record. While the dispensing carton 10 is intended primarily for use with attachable package handles as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent application, it will be understood that other articles may be dispensed from the carton.

The dispensing carton 10 has parallel spaced apart side wall portions 17 and 18 which are joined together by peripheral front, bottom and rear wall portions 19, 20 and 21, respectively. The top wall portion 22 of the dispensing carton is provided with an outlet 23 through which the article 11 is dispensed.

Most advantageously, an upwardly inclined ramp portion 24 extends from the outlet 23 to the front wall portion 19, thus providing a relatively large outlet 23. A reinforcement portion 26 is formed immediately adjacent the outlet 23 and provides the strong abutment surface against which the pull tab 12 is folded over. The pull strip 12 passes through a slot 28 and then is captured within a channel portion 29, as best seen in FIG. 3. The spool of articles to be dispensed is designated generally by reference numeral 30 and is captured within the dispensing carton 10 by a hub portion 31 which includes a pair of spaced apart parallel hub forming panels 31a and 31b. These portions may be considered sub panels formed within the central portion of the side panels 18 and 17.

The sub panels 31a and 31b are provided with tab portions 32 and 33, respectively, which engage lock slots 34 and 36, respectively, when the blank of FIG. 2 is folded to form the dispensing carton. The front wall portion 19 has upper and lower tabs 37 and 38, respectively, which are folded in and glued to the inside surfaces of the top and bottom wall portions 22 and 20, respectively, as best seen in FIG. 4. In like manner, the rear wall panel 21 has top and bottom portions 40 and 41 which are glued to the underside of the upper and lower walls as seen in FIG. 3.

A glue tab or strip 44 is formed along the terminating edge of the side panel 17 and is glued to the inside surface of the front panel 19 when the dispensing carton is folded in an assembled condition as shown in FIG. 1. The bottom wall is formed by the two wall portions 20a and 20b which are glued together at their interface. The top wall portion 22 is formed by the two panel portions 22a and 22b which, in turn, are each divided into the ramp portions 24 and the reinforcing portion 26. As best seen in FIG. 4, the upwardly inclined ramp portion 24 includes double folded-over side edge portions 47 and 48 which are formed by the bend lines 49 and S of FIG. 2.

To enable the user of the dispensing carton to take an initial length of pull strip 12 and place it in the channel 29, the top wall portion 22a is provided with a locking tab member 52 which has outwardly directed ears 53 and 54 to engage locking slots 56 and 57, respectively, of the side panel 17. Therefore, upon initially removing a length of pull strip 12, it can be pulled over the reinforcement edge 23 and inserted into the slot 28 while the rear portion of the top panel 22a is in a loose condition. Thereafter, the tab portion 52 is locked in place by inserting the ears 53 and 54 into the locking slots. To ensure quick and easy dispensing of attachable handles II, a length of pull strip 12a is always in a position easily to be reached by a user.

lt will be noted in FIG. that the sub panels 31a and 31b have the tab portions 32 and 33 thereof locked in place between the locking portions 60 and 61.

To facilitate anchoring the dispensing carton to a table surface from which a user may wrap packages, pressure sensitive adhesive members 63 and 64 are positioned on the bottom wall surface 20. While pressure sensitive adhesive members 63 and 64 are herein illustrated, it will be understood that other suitable anchoring means may be provided on the dispensing carton to facilitate one hand operation of ejecting handles from the outlet 23. That is, the user is able to pull back on the strip 12 with a single hand a length sufficient to expose one entire attachable handle and thereafter remove the handle for attachment.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts disclosed and claimed herein.

The invention claimed is as follows:

1. A dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull-out strip, comprising in combination: side wall support members, hub means secured to said side wall support members to receive the spool of the wound articles, a top wall positioned over the spool of wound articles, an outlet formed intermediate said top wall through which the articles are dispensed together with their pull strip, a ramp portion extending from said outlet upwardly toward the terminating end of the carton, said ramp having parallel side edge portions progressively decreasing in height from said outlet to said terminating end and extending parallel to said side wall support members, said ramp and said side edge portions being U-shaped in the cross section along the length thereof, a reinforcement member formed at the periphery of said outlet so that the pull strip can be urged over the reinforcement during ejecting of the articles secured thereto, and a channel section formed on the top wall immediately behind the reinforcement member through which the pull strip passes to maintain the pull strip in a fixed location relative to the outlet, whereby pulling of the pull strip will cause the article secured thereto to be dispensed from the outlet while the spool of articles is turned about said hub.

2. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member is formed by a doubled layer of carton material immediately adjacent said outlet and wherein a slot is formed in the top layer of the reinforcement to provide an entrance to said channel section formed immediately behind the reinforcement.

3. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side wall members are spaced apart by said hub, said hub being formed by tab portions extending from the panel forming one of said side wall members and engaging tab lock slots formed in the panel forming the other side wall member, said tab portion and said tab lock slots being two in number and substantially identical in configuration on each panel.

4. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1 further including front, rear and bottom wall portions forming a closure completely about the spool of wound articles.

5. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1 wherein the carton is formed of a single cardboard blank, said blank having large substantially square panel portions forming the side walls and narrow rectangular portions forming the front, rear, bottom and top wall portions, and wherein the hub portions are formed from tabs severed from the central portion of the large square panels. 

1. A dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull-out strip, comprising in combination: side wall support members, hub means secured to said side wall support members to receive the spool of the wound articles, a top wall positioned over the spool of wound articles, an outlet formed intermediate said top wall through which the articles are dispensed together with their pull strip, a ramp portion extending from said outlet upwardly toward the terminating end of the carton, said ramp having parallel side edge portions progressively decreasing in height from said outlet to said terminating end and extending parallel to said side wall support members, said ramp and said side edge portions being U-shaped in the cross section along the length thereof, a reinforcement member formed at the periphery of said outlet so that the pull strip can be urged over the reinforcement during ejecting of the articles secured thereto, and a channel section formed on the top wall immediately behind the reinforcement member through which the pull strip passes to maintain the pull strip in a fixed location relative to the outlet, whereby pulling of the pull strip will cause the article secured thereto to be dispensed from the outlet while the spool of articles is turned about said hub.
 2. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reinforcement member is formed by a doubled layer of carton material immediately adjacent said outlet and wherein a slot is formEd in the top layer of the reinforcement to provide an entrance to said channel section formed immediately behind the reinforcement.
 3. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side wall members are spaced apart by said hub, said hub being formed by tab portions extending from the panel forming one of said side wall members and engaging tab lock slots formed in the panel forming the other side wall member, said tab portion and said tab lock slots being two in number and substantially identical in configuration on each panel.
 4. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1 further including front, rear and bottom wall portions forming a closure completely about the spool of wound articles.
 5. The dispensing carton for articles wound on a spool and carried by a pull strip as set forth in claim 1 wherein the carton is formed of a single cardboard blank, said blank having large substantially square panel portions forming the side walls and narrow rectangular portions forming the front, rear, bottom and top wall portions, and wherein the hub portions are formed from tabs severed from the central portion of the large square panels. 